E for Everdeen

When I first started reading The Hunger Games, I believed it would be a book about a dystopian future. Technically, my guess was not far off the mark but the reality was something different, and the book offered more than I had initially expected from it.

Katniss Everdeen quickly became one of my top favourite woman characters, for her strength and perseverance. The Hunger Games quickly became an over-imaginative satire rather than dystopian and I could feel the emotions that the characters felt via the powerful writing.

I have never been able to revisit the book for years now, but some scenes and characters stand etched in my mind, especially the ones that pushed the story forward. The common words like Volunteer, Tribute and Capitol got new meaning and I was so enamoured by the series to the extent of buying the famous Mockingjay pin / badge.

The Hunger Games were not books I would immediately recommend to anyone, because they needed to be read and loved in a particular way, and by people who can stomach the difference between the originally dystopian elements and the fictitious parts of it. This is one of my ‘serious reading’ recommendations and it will always remain so, because Everdeen does not warrant light reading, neither does Collins.

The song I dedicate to this character: Nenje Ezhu (motivational lyrics / the power of perseverance and love)